Hogwarts Legacy kicks off Epic's Holiday Sale
The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale is live, and it is starting with one of the biggest giveaways the platform has ever done. Hogwarts Legacy, the hit open world Harry Potter themed RPG, is completely free to keep if you claim it on Epic before December 18.
This is the first time Hogwarts Legacy has ever been offered as a free giveaway on any store. On Steam it still sells at its original full price, and there are still tens of thousands of players exploring Hogwarts and the surrounding world every day. If you skipped it at launch or were waiting for a price drop, this is the cheapest it will ever get.
To claim the game, all you need is an Epic Games account and the Epic launcher. Add Hogwarts Legacy to your library before the deadline and it is yours permanently, just like any game you buy.
The game does come with some controversy. Hogwarts Legacy exists in the Harry Potter universe created by J K Rowling, whose public views on trans rights have been widely criticized. Rowling was not part of the development team, but she does benefit financially from the franchise. Some players choose to skip the game for that reason, while others separate the work from the author. That is a personal decision every player has to make for themselves.
Regardless of the debate, there is no question it has been a huge commercial success. Years after release, it still pulls in large player counts and rarely gets heavy discounts. That is what makes this Epic promotion stand out so much.
What the Epic Games Store Holiday Sale includes
Hogwarts Legacy is just the first piece of a much bigger event. The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale runs until January 8, 2026, and comes with a mix of discounts, rewards, and more free games.
Here is what is happening during the sale:
- Big discounts on a wide range of PC games, from indie hits to major AAA releases.
- Twenty percent back on purchases in the form of Epic rewards that can be used to reduce the price of future games.
- Gifting support so you can finally buy a game on Epic and send it directly to a friend.
- Seventeen total free games throughout the sale, with Hogwarts Legacy as the opener and sixteen more to come.
- Epic Extras like cosmetic packs, in game currency, XP boosts, and other bonus items for various titles.
The free game schedule always ramps up after the first title. Epic plans a total of seventeen giveaways over the course of the event, so after Hogwarts Legacy expires a new wave of mystery freebies will rotate in. It is not quite a free game every single day, but it is close. Checking the store regularly during the sale is the best way to avoid missing anything, especially for time limited bonuses like in game currency packs.
The extra rewards system is another reason to pay attention. Getting twenty percent back in Epic rewards effectively stacks on top of normal discounts. For anyone building up a PC library or grabbing several titles at once, that can add up quickly. You can use the rewards on almost any future purchase, which makes it easier to justify snagging an extra game or two for your backlog.
Why PC gamers should care
For PC gamers, sales like this are not just about cheap games. They are an opportunity to grow your library, try genres you would not normally buy at full price, and experiment with different performance setups on your rig.
Hogwarts Legacy in particular is a useful benchmark title. It is a visually heavy open world game with a lot of detailed environments and spell effects. That makes it a great way to test your current GPU and CPU, tweak your graphics settings, and see how well your system holds up at higher resolutions like 1440p or 4K. If you have been thinking about a hardware upgrade, running a demanding modern title like this is a practical way to judge whether your current hardware is still enough for the latest releases.
The broader Holiday Sale also overlaps nicely with other PC ecosystems. Steam has its own seasonal events and there are plenty of guides listing free PC games across all platforms. Combining Epic giveaways with Steam sales and other stores is one of the best ways to get a huge selection of PC games with minimal spending.
Even if you are not interested in Hogwarts Legacy itself, it is worth logging in and watching the rotation of freebies and Epic Extras. Cosmetic bundles and currency packs can give you a boost in games you already play, and the smaller free titles often include interesting indie projects that might never have hit your radar otherwise.
To recap the key dates:
- You can claim Hogwarts Legacy for free on the Epic Games Store until December 18.
- The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale runs until January 8, 2026.
- There will be seventeen free games in total during the event, plus regular discounts, rewards, and various in game bonuses.
If you game on PC, this is one of the best times of the year to pick up new titles, test your hardware, and stack your library with both big budget releases and creative smaller games without breaking your budget.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/hogwarts-legacy-goes-free-for-the-first-time-to-kick-off-the-epic-games-stores-2025-holiday-sale/
